Welcome to our new Galaxy S5 release date and specifications article, which is everything the title suggests. The successor to the market-leadingGalaxy S3 and Galaxy S4 was shown off by Samsung today, confirming many rumours about the new smartphone. See all MWC news. View our MWC live blog.

On this page we'll bring you all of the information about the new Galaxy S5, including when we can expect to be able to buy the new Galaxy S5, and the new features and specs it has. We'll keep updating this page with information as it appears.

The Galaxy S2 was the first Android phone to challenge the iPhone's dominance of the smartphone market. The Galaxy S3 was the first non-Apple smartphone that we could honestly say was a good if not better than the iPhone of the day. And we love the Galaxy S4, so we can certainly say that the S5 is a hugely important one, and now we finally know all of the facts. See also: Galaxy S5 vs iPhone 5S smartphone comparison review.

Samsung Galaxy S5: Release date in the UK

We had been expecting Samsung to make the Galaxy S5 available in March, but it looks like we'll have to wait until 11 April to get our hands on the new smartphone. Samsung says it'll be launching the Galaxy S5 on 11 April in more than 100 countries.

Samsung, Carphone Warehouse and networks including Three and Vodafone have announced that the Galaxy S5 will be available to pre-order on 28 March - and Carphone Warehouse is expecting huge demand.

A Carphone Warehouse spokesperson said: "We've seen record numbers of pre-registrations for the Samsung Galaxy S5 compared to its predecessors so we know that customer demand for this new handset is exceptionally high. We’re expecting pre-orders to go through the roof when we open on 28 March as a huge number of Samsung fans are coming toward the end of their contracts and will be looking to upgrade to a new, yet still familiar, device."

Vodafone will also be taking pre-orders from 28 March and has confirmed that it will be exclusively selling the Copper Gold model of the Galaxy S5.

Samsung Galaxy S5: Price in the UK

The official price for the Samsung Galaxy S5 is £579 but as usual you can get it cheaper than that.

As you would expect the Galaxy S5 will be available from all the major networks and big name retailers. That includes EE, O2, Vodafone, Three, Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U. A typical contract price is around £40 per month. Read: Galaxy S5: where to buy in the UK.

If you're looking to buy the Galaxy S5 outright then SIM-free pricing is below the suggested retail price of £579. Clove has it for just £522 while other online retailers including Amazon, Expansys and Unlocked Mobiles have a price tag of around £550. Carphone Warehouse's SIM-free price is £579.

The price keeps it in the same ball park as the iPhone 5S, a lot more expensive than the Nexus phones and the Moto G, but at the premium end of the market for a premium phone.

Samsung Galaxy S5: Design

So, what's the Galaxy S5 like? While the S5 doesn't have a metallic design as previously rumoured, it does come in four shimmery colours: Electric Blue, Copper Gold, Shimmer White and Charcoal Black. They each have a perforated design, too.

The S5 measures 142 by 72.5 by 8.1mm, and weighs 145g. That's actually 15g heavier than the S4, and a little thicker too, but remember its display is 0.1 inches bigger.

One of the biggest cheers of the launch event came as Samsung revealed that the S5 is IP67 water & dust resistant like the Sony Xperia Z range, meaning it should be more durable.

New Galaxy S5: Display

New Galaxy S5: Processor

The Samsung Galaxy S5 has had a significant power boost over its predecessor, with a 2.5GHz Quad core processor compared with the S4's 1.9GHz chip. As expected, it runs Android 4.4.2 Kitkat.

New Galaxy S5: Camera

One rumour that did prove to be correct was GSMarena's prediction that the Galaxy S5 would have a 16Mp rear-facing camera (compared with the S4's 13Mp camera) with improved image stabilisation. It also has a new selective focus mode that acts a bit like the aperture on an SLR for depth of field effects, and speedy auto-focus that Samsung says will enable you to focus your image in less than a third of a second – the fastest ever for a smartphone.

A HDR mode has been introduced too, and also works for video.

The front-facing camera is the same 2Mp as the S4's.

New Galaxy S5: Battery

Samsung has given the battery in the S5 a boost. The 2,800 mAh battery offers 12 hours of video playback, according to the company.

New Galaxy S5: Connectivity

Samsung's Galaxy S5 has full category 4 LTE connectivity, as well as WiFi MIMO (802.11ac). This is the first smartphone to ever have such a combo. Plus, the new Download Booster in the S5 means you should be able to download 1GB of data in 30 seconds, says Samsung. Download Booster uses a combination of WiFI and LTE to download data.

New Galaxy S5: New features

The Samsung Galaxy S5 also has an all-new Finger Scanner that will enable secure mobile payments and will also provide access to a 'Private Mode' that noone else will be able to get into.

There's a new Kids Mode with dedicated apps to protect your children (and your S5) while they're using it, which could be a real boon for parents with tech-loving little-ones.

One of the most interesting and useful (hopefully) features is the Ultra Power Saving Mode, which will automatically turn your display to Black and White and turn off all features apart from calls and texts when you're almost out of power. This should mean that 10% of battery will last up to 24 hours in this mode.

Another, perhaps slightly unneccesary feature is a heart rate monitor, situated just below the rear-facing camera. It's the first time a smartphone has ever had a heart rate monitor built-in.

The S5 is designed to work with any one of Samsung's three new smartwatches: the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and the Gear Fit.

FInd out what else is happening in Barcelona this week in our MWC Live Blog.